Should Networks Broadcast President Trump's Address to the Nation?
*By Conor White*
After a period of serious flip-flopping, major U.S. television networks have agreed to broadcast President Trump's Tuesday night Oval Office address on immigration to the nation, but according to Christine Emba of the Washington Post, the decision may not be sensical ー largely because it marks a significant departure.
"During President Barack Obama's tenure, the networks did not show his own immigration speech, saying that it was widely politicized," she told Cheddar Tuesday.
President Obama wanted to explain a series of executive actions on immigration in 2014, but networks refused, calling the subject "overtly political."
According to Emba, Trump's immigration speech will be no exception.
"We already know this speech is going to be heavily politicized, as is everything that President Donald Trump does ー and full of misinformation, as again, most of his speeches are," Emba added.
But networks have not historically maintained a consistent policy on immigration addresses; they aired President George Bush's speech on the issue in 2006.
If the decision were up to Emba, President Trump would be receiving the same treatment as President Obama.
"I'm not entirely sure that this will be providing the American public with useful or reliable information, so were I the head of a network, I would not show this speech," she said.
While Trump's address is only scheduled to last a few minutes, Emba believes that's sufficient time to create lasting damage.
"It's only eight to 10 minutes long, but you can start a lot of trouble in eight to 10 minutes," she said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/should-networks-be-carrying-trumps-address).
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